Following the 2014 season, the Mets had two big holes that they had to address: SS and LF. The big move of the offseason was to import outfielder Michael Cuddyer. The solution at short was to hand the position over to Wilmer Flores. Midway through the 2015 season, these decisions looked really bad. But a lot has changed since then, as neither SS nor LF is a particular weakness, even if it’s not because of the original plan.
On most nights now, Michael Conforto roams LF for the Mets. In 42 games with the Mets, Conforto has a .297.378/.547 line in 148 PA. Cuddyer has fallen into a platoon role. A DL stint and a reduced role have agreed with the veteran. Since being activated, Cuddyer has a .317/.377/.476 line in 69 PA. Some expected this type of production all year from the big free agent signing, who had a .683 OPS before hitting the disabled list. Better late than never.
As remarkable as the production from left field has been recently, the play out of shortstop might be even more surprising. Flores has been all over the map. He started off looking extremely shaky at shortstop and his hitting was extremely streaky. He was a pretty good hitter for the position through mid-May, thanks to belting six homes in his first 32 games.
But then as his fielding settled down, he quit providing the long ball. Over his next 61 games, Flores hit just four homers and had a dismal .618 OPS over 244 PA. During this stretch, he lost his starting shortstop position and was able to keep in the lineup mainly due to an injury to Daniel Murphy.
Then came the near-trade, the tears on the field and a dramatic home run when he returned to the lineup after a day off. Since July 31, Flores has been on fire, with a .308/.346/.525 line, including 6 HR in 120 ABs. The return of his power was a very nice thing to see. Just as important is that this was an extended stretch where Flores turned in what we typically consider a “normal” .307 BABIP. For whatever reasons, Flores had been about 40 points below that mark previously in his MLB career.
Is the jump in BABIP since the last day of July a harbinger of things to come or is it the equivalent of a .300 hitter posting a .340 mark? No one knows for sure.
What we do know is that Ruben Tejada is also performing better than we expected, both here recently and for the season as a whole. Perhaps the best reason to start Flores at shortstop at the beginning of the year is because none of us wanted to see Tejada there. But Tejada has been a pleasant surprise at the plate. He has a .700 OPS after 371 PA, a jump of 48 points from what it was a season ago.
The two have been sharing time at shortstop, with Flores getting the lion’s share of playing time. Flores has also seen some time at second base. Offensively, the twosome has combined for an .837 OPS since July 31. The average NL shortstop has a .690 OPS this year so the production the Mets have received lately has been outstanding.
Defensively, Tejada is viewed as the superior option, even if advanced stats don’t agree. For the year, Flores has a (-1.3) UZR and a (-8) DRS at shortstop while Tejada checks in with a (-5.7) UZR and a (-17) DRS, the worst mark among MLB shortstops. My eye test thinks those defensive numbers must be the result of a typo somewhere. Tejada seems like a solid average defensive shortstop, while Flores appears worse.
Regardless, nobody right now is calling for an upgrade at either LF or SS as we head down the stretch and get ready for the Mets’ first playoff appearance since 2006. Who would have thunk it?
But which one do you start in Game One vs. Kershaw?
Ruben Tejada no question. He has been amazing against Kershaw: 5 for 14 with 3 walks and only 3 strikeouts.
Flores has been okay with a 3 for 6 clip.
This is coming from a Flores fan.
Those defensive metrics don’t seem accurate to me.
Regarding which one to play in the playoffs, I base that more on who is pitching for the Mets. A pitcher with a high ground ball rate (Niese) calls for Tejada while a fly ball pitcher (Colon) calls for Flores. For the most part I’d also consider bringing in Tejada as a late inning defensive replacement in a close game. Despite what the metrics say, I still like his defense better.
Who would have ever thought Tejada’s name would be mentioned in a positive way concerning offense?!
Instead its starting pitching thats the big concern…who’d of thunk that too????
Matz changes that tonight!
A lot of Mets have stepped up since the trade deadline deals. That has resulted in boosting Collin’s status as a manager as he continues to push the right buttons and create different alignments each night. Can you imagine the strength of this team when Duda or Flores ends up batting 7th? Would love to see them sign Cespedes now! He is this generations Carter acquisition and can lead the Mets forward for years. Matz gives the Mets the option to deal contract friendly Jon Niese and others to secure one more big bat. Goldschmitt at first next year?
What a great year to be a Mets fan.
What is it with all these letters OPS UZR DRS BABIP ?????????????????
I see them all the time but no one says what they mean
Hi Allan – thanks for reading and commenting.
Here is the FanGraphs glossary
http://www.fangraphs.com/library/
If you’re interested in definitions, explore this page.
Wilben Flojada has been a good shortstop. Sure he has faults but look around the league and see how he compares.I would be comfortable going into 2016 with Flojada. Herrera should be up in 2016 and I wouldn’t mind Florerra splitting time there. If we add a cheap free agent signing of Kelly Johnson then we could have insurance at second base if Herrera falters and third base to rest the Captain.TC has done a masterful job of mixing his players into the lineup and putting them in a position to succeed. Wilben Flojada is a perfect example of this.